Sunday, January 29, 2012

At 11 months, Lil' D is flying through milestones left and right. He is cruising along furniture, toys, walls, pant legs---anything to get him where he wants to go. He is practicing standing without holding on. He is now an expert present unwrapper after a fruitful Christmas and is looking forward to his birthday where Mommy plans to wrap empty boxes...maybe. Lil' D has quite a personality and is beginning to show signs of stubbornness, especially when he does not want to nap, have his diaper changed or be strapped in his car seat. His new words are "La, La," "Na, Na," and "Arrf, Arrf." He can be found reading books, working on his problem solving skills, playing with the vegetable steamer, practicing brushing his six teeth, spending time with Daddy, and trying to remove the baby gates blocking the stairs.

I've never been a fan of New Year's Resolutions, and I feel that "resolution" has a very negative connotation because so many people make unrealistic ones that are doomed to fail. I also think people need to be more original in their resolutions. I often avoid the gym in the month of January because of New Year's resolutions! I don't think it is a bad idea to start the New Year with some new goals. So this year, I have some goals or pursuits. It would be nice to do this every year and reflect/revise/add new goals at the end of every year.

1. Plan and Save for kitchen renovations--We are not living in our forever home, and we have already decided that before we look at selling our house we need to do some kitchen renovations. I say, why not do them now so we can enjoy the kitchen, especially since we spend so much time there? Nicholas and I both have a lot of ideas, so I want to start writing them down, researching options and looking for deals. I feel that we have made so many reactive changes to the house and would really like to start making proactive changes!

2. Learn to cook with more of the food I want Lil' D to eat. I want Lil' D to be a "foodie" snob like his mom. There are so many foods that are jam packed with vitamins and minerals that I have really never eaten because I don't know how to cook them. I want to learn to cook with more foods like beets, quinoa, kale, and brussels sprouts. I like variety and want my family to, as well.

3. Let Nicholas do more. It may surprise you to know that I take on a lot of responsiblity. I have so many things I want to do...cook lots of food, make my own bread, homemade chicken broth, make creative finger food for Lil' D, blog, make scrapbooks, do needlepoint, and take pictures. There are also so many things that go into running a house with an 11 month old. I try to do it all and the reality is that is just not possible since what I really want to do most is enjoy my baby. I need to allow Nicholas to do things around the house without feeling bad that he is having to do it or I am not doing it and NOT try to tell him how to do it!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

We went to Dallas the weekend of New Years to celebrate Christmas with my family. We left on Friday and spent the day in the Grapevine area. Friday afternoon we went to the Gaylord Texan and enjoyed their Christmas display.

Then we had dinner with my cousin, Mike and his girlfriend, Maria. Lil' D wowed them with his mad eating skills. We spent the night at Mike's, and my Aunt Jerry came over for a while to visit after dinner.

Saturday morning we had breakfast at The Original Pancake House. Lil' D wowed everyone with with his ability to put away the pancakes. Then we spent some time outside enjoying the beautiful weather, and Lil' D played with Major.

Saturday afternoon we walked around downtown Dallas looking at art and being tourists. We spent New Year's Eve with my family.

BaiBoo really wanted me to take pictures of her so I told her that I would take pictures of her sharing with Lil' D.

New Year's Day we had Christmas with my family. Lil' D had a great time opening more presents!

He met Great-Grandmother and Great-Granddady Williams for the first time.

Mini-J with her new dancing monkey.

Baby A and BaiBoo opened a few present that required a little assembly...

About Me

I like to take pictures. I like to read. I like to write. I like to make people laugh, and I aspire to leave my mark by fully documenting my life through scrapbooks, photo albums, journals, emails, and now this blog.